Do you pull?

This week there was an interesting reaction to an article on Oil Pulling in Mamamia.  The author had been asked to road test this health technique (which she was reluctant to do) and asked for everyone’s opinions.  Reader comments were divisive.

For those who don’t know, pulling is a process where you place about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth and swish it around for 5 – 20 minutes.  It works by the bacteria sticking to the oil as you swish, and then they are dissolved in the oil. The result is that you remove bacteria from the mouth each time this is done. Coconut oil is meant to be a particularly good oil to use because it has Lauric Acid which has been found to be antimicrobial – (kills bacteria, viruses and fungi). Pulling is reputed to have many health benefits, the key ones focused on improved oral health plus some other slightly ‘wilder’ claims (diabetes, arthritis and asthma).

I found the Mamamia article interesting because I had started experimenting with the process myself a week earlier.  Every morning I get up and place a reasonable sized lump of coconut oil in my mouth and swish it around while I shower.  After trialling it for two weeks I believe coconut oil has improved my oral health because of its anti-microbial properties.  Personally, I think the appearance of my teeth has improved (slight decrease in tartar) and there are less episodes of halitosis (bad breath).  As someone who is not very good at going to the dentist on a regular basis this technique suits me.  However, I’m not convinced rinsing my mouth with coconut oil will cure arthritis or diabetes and I would need to be convinced with some strong evidence based research. 

If you are curious and would like to try oil pulling I’ve provided some tips below.

I have a lot of respect for coconut oil.  It has fast made it to the top of my toiletries and hygiene products list.  And over the next month I’ll share with you some other things I’m using coconut oil for with great results.

Susan
Kinesiology Affect

Feeling brave and want to try oil pulling?

• Buy yourself organic coconut oil from a health food shop.
• The best time to do it is first thing in the morning.
• 20 minutes of swishing is recommended. (I average 10-15 mins)
• DO NOT swallow any of the oil – it has bacteria in it, the last thing you want to do is bring it right into your body
• DO NOT spit the oil down the sink or toilet when you are done.  Coconut oil solidifies when it cools down so throw it into a rubbish bin.

Are you sleeping like a baby?

Many people have problems with sleep, either falling asleep, staying asleep or getting a good quality ‘sound’ sleep. The underlying reasons can be many and varied and may include structural issues, allergies or food intolerances, stress/anxiety, pregnancy, hormonal imbalances, lifestyle choices, medication, environmental influences and parental duties.

In my own experience I think nothing is more debilitating and stressful than long term sleep problems. As a mother of two young children I have gone through two periods of time where I either wasn’t getting enough sleep or it was poor quality. One of these periods lasted 10 months and I really felt as though I was losing my mind. I became obsessed with sleep. Every morning I would work out how many hours I’d had, think about how I could squeeze in a nap during the day, worry about the night ahead. It affected my moods, family life, social life and relationships.

I started receiving regular kinesiology treatments during this time … thank god. I’m not sure how I would have coped otherwise. The funny thing is that I never actually got balanced around the lack of sleep itself, but the kinesiology sessions helped me sleep better and the kinesiologist coached me to look after and support myself during this challenging time.

I’m always amazed to hear my clients talk about how our kinesiology sessions have helped improve their sleep when we were not actually working on sleep issues during their appointments! I guess it is a bonus side effect of getting a kinesiology balance.

Aside from kinesiology, there are some common sense measures you can put in place to help you have a good night sleep:

1. Turn off phones, iPads, iPhones, computers and even the TV 30 minutes before you go to bed.
2. Aim to go to bed by 10 p.m. and try to do this every day. Did you know each hour of sleep you get before 12 a.m. is equal to 2 hours of sleep after 12 a.m?
3. Avoid caffeine after 3p.m. Caffeine includes tea, coffee, cola and energy drinks.
4. Avoid alcohol, if possible, six hours before bed. (I can almost hear the snorting and disbelief as I type this). Alcohol actually interferes with normal sleep patterns by disrupting neurotransmitters (nerve chemicals) in the brain that control or regulate sleep.
5. If possible, aim to have dinner before 7 p.m. If you eat dinner after 7p.m. watch your portion sizes.
6. Don’t exercise 30 minutes before going to bed (this excludes sex). Include a more relaxed form of exercise into your routine – yoga or tai chi.
7. Try meditating before settling down for the evening.

Some further considerations if your sleep problem is long-term:

• If you are regularly waking around 2-3 a.m. this could be a sign your liver is working overtime. This is the time when your liver regenerates and it needs glycogen. Adrenaline causes your cells to use up glycogen. So if you're regularly stressed, your body may not have enough glycogen for the liver to regenerate. Alcohol, caffeine and medications need to be broken down or detoxified by the liver so keep that in min.
• If you often have unsettled sleep, regularly waking, and it is not due to children, it could be something in your diet. The first culprit I always think of is gluten.
• You could consider supplementing with calcium and magnesium. Consider GNLD’s “Cal-Mag”
• See a good naturopath or herbalist to get herbs prescribed. The type of herbs will depend on the cause of your sleep problems. Some good generic herbs to help with sleep include Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), and Valerian root (Valerian officinalis).

Most people have experienced insomnia or sleeplessness at one time or another in their lives. But if you have had long term problems then don’t suffer in silence. Go see a kinesiologist.